1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to ice makers and in particular to means for converting a column of ice formed in an automatic ice maker selectivity to ice products in any one of a plurality of different configurations.
2. Description of the Prior Art
The present invention comprises an improveent in auger-type ice makers. One such auger-type ice maker is shown in U.S. Pat. No. 3,648,462 of John B. Lyman, which patent is owned by the assignee hereof. As shown therein, the ice maker includes a cover member defining a collection chamber for receiving ice flakes or slush harvested from a refrigerated surface. In the Jack F. Clearman et al patent U.S. Pat. No. 3,662,564, also owned by the assignee hereof, a number of different extrusion members are removably secured at an outermost end of the screw shaft to adapt the machine for producing differently configured ice products. The delivery tube is generally cyclindrical and the extrusion members are mounted to extend upwardly within the lower end of the delivery tube.
The Turner et al U.S. Pat. No. 3,678,702, owned by the assignee hereof, illustrates, in FIG. 8, a prior art form of breaker elbow utilized in such an auger-type ice maker to effect the desired breaking of the column of ice into discrete portions.
In U.S. Pat. No. 3,733,844 of Phillip H. Turner, which patent is owned by the assignee hereof, the compressed column of hard ice is impacted against a knife means to cause the formation of cracked ice therefrom.
In the John Franklin Morrison U.S. Pat. No. 3,896,631, owned by the assignee hereof, the ice is cracked by a knife blade and then the cracked ice reforms into a column which advances at a generally uniform rate of flow through a discharge duct.
In U.S. Pat. No. 4,040,267 of Donald F. Swanson, owned by the assignee hereof, a breaker elbow is provided which includes an upwardly angled portion tending to shear the column of ice as it is delivered into the elbow. The ice cubes are delivered in the direction determined by the angle of the breaker elbow.
Aaron Lee et al, in U.S. Pat. No. 2,595,588, show an ice making machine wherein the column of ice engages an angled breaker plate to break the column of ice into pieces of predetermined small size.
Aaron Lee et al, in U.S. Pat. No. 2,648,955, teach the use of a knife aligned with the center of the column of ice to crush or crack the ice as it is moved upwardly thereagainst.
Dave C. Smith et al, in U.S. Pat. No. 3,197,974, show an auger-type chip making machine having indentations in the delivery portion for preventing rotation of the ice column. The unit provides small ice flakes and particles which are wiped off the wall of the shell and moved upwardly by a spiral to form shapeless slush ice into a tubular column of soft ice which is rotated with the rotation of the spiral. to form shapeless slush ice into a tubular column of soft ice which is rotated with the rotation of the spiral.
In U.S. Pat. No. 3,803,869 of Charles G. Neumann et al, a plate-type ice maker is disclosed having a cutting edge at one end of an ice-forming passage member which is moved over a plane freezing surface by the cutting edge to be forced into the forming passage in which they are subjected to compressive forces to form a rod of hard ice. At the other end of the passage is a breaker surface which fractures the rod to form discrete pieces of ice.